Although we had many entries, no one won the crossword puzzle contest for March. We will roll over the prize, an autographed copy of Richard L. Rubenstein's Jihad and Genocide, and offer it again in April.

Afew weeks ago I settled down to re-read JB Priestley’s The Good Companions.

The book was published in 1929 and is set in real time, say the previous year, and my copy, bought from a second hand bookstall at the Brick Lane end of Petticoat Lane in the 70s is the Crown Library edition published 1931. For a book that is 79 years old it is in much better condition than books on the same shelf that I purchased new in the 1990s. more>>>

Life Is a CAIR-baret, Old Chum: An Interview with Activist �Max Vonheune�

by Jerry Gordon with “Max Vonheune”(April 2010)

In Mid-March, Tom Trento, executive director of the Florida Security Council, sent out an email alert seeking activists in the Philadelphia area bold enough to attend a press conference by the local chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) – a Muslim Brotherhood front. The Philadelphia CAIR chapter was protesting a worthy project of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) – the publication of The World of Islam, a series of books for middle-to-high school students by Mason Crest, Publishers, of Bromall, Pennsylvania. The World of Islam series, authored by eminent scholars, portrays a definitive, realistic and, dare we say, less airbrushed treatment of the beliefs, history and practices of a major world faith. Because the FPRI-sponsored series on Islam endeavored to portray a more balanced depiction of Islam than that contained in most world history texts from major US publishers, the Philadelphia CAIR chapter took it upon itself to hold a press conference criticizing The World of Islam. more>>>

As you walk around English towns and cities you are struck by the masses of cranes bobbing in the sky. What these suggest is our town and city-scapes (urbiscapes) are being changed into something different. The architecture and the character of our towns and cities are part of our inherited culture. more>>>

Ihave observed before that the word “plight” has become devalued by its association with the “Palestinians”. Their “plight” consists in not suffering the consequences of their own actions and of Islam, cushioned as they are by Western largesse. A recent piece at Pajamasmedia has the tagline: “The plight of the Uighurs is beginning to inflame Muslim populations”. That does it for me and “plight” – it is but another tool in the arsenal of combustible Muslims. more>>>

For the past year, I have been saying that the political center in India is collapsing. The re-election of the left-center Congress Party last year only masked this inevitable decline and had more to do with political dynamics in India and the fact that India has remained relatively unscathed from the recent world economic collapse. The finale might not come this year, or maybe even next; but it is coming, and when it does it will be with an explosion heard around the world. more>>>

I am looking out across the Rio Plata, the widest river in the world. In the distance I can make out the shores of Uruguay, more than two hundred miles away. The river is light brown. I am told it is a shallow river with hardly a wave or ripple, as far as the eye can see. On weekends residents of Buenos Aires sail its waters for pleasure and return to their yacht clubs for their “asado,” the traditional Argentine barbeque where from modern Canadian standards, enormous amounts of beef are consumed by all assembled. It is a red meat eating nation where there are at least two cows for each of the country’s thirty million people. Vegetarians are few and far between. Not surprisingly, one of Argentina’s latest film successes is about the owner of a restaurant in Buenos Aires. (In Spanish the master of the barbeque is called an “asador” as the master of a bullfight is called a “matador” and there are entire books dedicated to the art.) more>>>

The self-styled “Kairos Palestine” document was launched in Bethlehem on December 11, 2009 by a panel chaired by the former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah. It was quickly made available in Arabic and several European languages at the dedicated website www.kairospalestine.ps. The secretariat of the World Council of Churches (WCC) was quick to disseminate it, especially among Protestant churches worldwide. This was no accident, since the WCC secretariat was heavily involved in the gestation of this document as part of its long-term program to promote Palestinian political aims. more>>>

On Martin Luther King Sunday in 2005, I attended the worship service at Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church in Somerville, Massachusetts. The church was hosting a presentation by an activist from Boston-to-Palestine (B2P), a group that has recruited college students to participate in protests in the West Bank organized by the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). I could have skipped the Sunday service and gone straight to the B2P presentation held in the church basement afterwards, but I wanted to get a sense of what type of congregation would play host to an activist from a movement whose leaders condoned Palestinian violence during the Second Intifada and whose members have partied with terrorists from Al Aksa Martyr’s Brigade. more>>>

The Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia is a radical Mosque and notorious spawning ground for home grown Islamic terrorists. Witness the attendance at Dar al Hijrah by Fort Hood mass shooter and lone Jihadi, Maj. Nidal Hasan. Significantly, American born Yemeni Sheik Anwar Al-Awlaki preached there and had connections to several of the 9/11 perpetrators. He recruited foiled Christmas Day airplane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and others connected with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. So why are several Democratic elected officials, both Members of Congress and Fairfax County Officials, attending the annual dinner on Saturday, April 3rd at Dar al Hijrah?

To find out more watch this important video produced by the Center for Security Policy (CSP). If you are outraged then contact these Democratic officials and ask them why they are attending this event organized by a group with Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda affiliations.

On February 17th, the CSP sent information about the Dar al Hijrah terrorist connections to the following invited Democratic officials:

·Tim Kaine, Former Virginia Governor, now Democratic National Chairman

·James Webb, US Senator

·Gerry Connelly, US Rep. (former Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors & supporter of the Islamic Saudi Academy, whose hate texts were the subject of protests in 2008 and 2009)

Only two Virginia Democrats, US Senator James Webb and Virginia House delegate Kaye Kory asked that their invitations be withdrawn. As of March 28th, Kaine, Connelly, Moran, Bulova and Gross when contacted indicated that they had either no comment or had not yet responded. Virginians should ask themselves why these Democrats should be re-elected to public office, as it appears that they don’t recognize the clear and present danger of home grown terrorists in our midst and the radical Islamic elements that foster hatred of all Americans. These officials wouldn’t think twice about rejecting an invitation to a Neo Nazi or white Aryan Nation group sponsored event. So why are they mindlessly accepting an invitation from the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center that espouses doctrinal Islamic hatred of Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and the seditious replacement of our Constitution with Islamic Sharia denying basic human and civil rights.

After watching this CSP YouTube video contact these Democratic officials and ask them to respond to their constituents and other concerned Americans about supporting an extremist Islamic center which enabled perpetrators on 9/11 that killed thousands here in America.

Jerusalem, eternal city and eternal flashpoint! The text that follows, written in July 2000, stands as the prologue to “Notes from a Simple Citizen,” a chronicle of the first years of the 21st century that got off to an explosive start with the al Dura blood libel, the “Al Aqsa Intifada,” 9/11… The chronicle has not been published yet. I was told, by two literary agents who wished to represent me, that publishers didn’t like that kind of format. They advised me to recompose the material into a more traditional work of non-fiction that would, necessarily, look back on those years in retrospect. I don’t mention this for the purpose of making the agents look ridiculous, but only to explain why it hasn't been made available to readers. An e-version of "Notes" will be available shortly. more>>>

by Norman Berdichevsky (April 2010)It Can't Happen Here was a best-selling satirical political novel by Sinclair Lewis published in 1935. It aroused considerable controversy when published and in the years leading up to World War II. The plot featured the account of a crusading newspaperman Doremus Jessup, struggling against the newly elected fascist regime of President Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a populist leader whom some observers on the political Right assumed was a parody of FDR while others, particularly on the political Left rejected the possibility that a “popular” leader of the Democratic Party could possibly lead the country into a Fascist regime. more>>>

A crisis arose between Washington and Jerusalem during a visit to Israel by US Vice President Biden. Simultaneous with his visit the Israeli Interior Ministry announced approval of the fourth stage in the process of building 1600 new apartment units for poor Orthodox Jews in the Ramat Shlomo development located in north Jerusalem. The Ramat Shlomo project has been in existence since 1995. The Obama Administration erupted in scathing attacks against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for “insulting” Vice President Biden and imperiling the flagging peace process by building “settlements” in East Jerusalem. This crisis erupted as Washington was about to dispatch Special Envoy former US Senator George Mitchell to hold so-called ‘proximity talks’ between Palestinian Authority leaders in Ramallah and the Netanyahu government in Jerusalem. more>>>

Consider the following remarks, and try to guess in what sort of publication they might have first appeared:

“Archaeologists increasingly have questioned accepted assumptions about biblical history and the biblical narrative….”

“Archaeological finds, however, at times call into question the historicity of the biblical narrative. For instance, some archaeological sites seem to deny Joshua’s alleged conquest of Canaan by showing neither a destruction layer nor traces of walls nor even settlement from that era (e.g., Jericho, Ai). Realizing the highly theological and literary character of the Book of Joshua, some scholars have concluded that its accounts are selective and biased, having minimal historical value in reconstructing the events of the past.” more>>>

Anthony Daniels writing as Theodore Dalrymple is a humanist in the best and truest sense of the word. When reading him, one has the impression Dr. Dalrymple bears a deep love for human beings as they are, even if he also desires to change our minds about certain issues, knowing that ideas and attitudes are prime movers in societal matters. more>>>

Abstract: One possible direction toward better understanding the human condition may be developing clear definitions of basic ideas. Connecting parts and wholes, as suggested by Spinoza, implies moving back and forth between concrete instances and abstract concepts to enrich our understanding of both instances and concepts. Blake expressed a related idea in a single sentence. Perhaps it can also serve as a transitional method between descriptive and systematic studies. The advantage of changing to the part/whole method is illustrated by the 44 years it took me to give the concept of normalization its rightful part of labeling theory. Most studies focus on either parts or wholes. However, some are described that seem to balance between them. more>>>

In November 2005 I received word that my first-born son, age 57, had a malignant brain tumor. I kept in touch with him by visits and telephone. By midwinter 2006-2007 he could no longer speak. Breathing had become difficult although he could understand what was said to him. Nevertheless, he fought to stay alive to be with his wife Carol, to whom he was devoted, but she knew his time had come, an opinion shared by his doctor. On February 5, 2007, she asked me by phone: “Please tell him it’s all right to die.” more>>>

How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic

Below is a complete listing of the articles in "How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic," a series by Coby Beck containing responses to the most common skeptical arguments on global warming. There are four separate taxonomies; arguments are divided by:

Belgium is set to become the first European country to impose a full ban on wearing a burkha. A parliamentary committee in Belgium has unanimously voted to ban the wearing of full face-covering veils in public, paving the way for the first clampdown of its kind in Europe. Officials say that the draft law will probably be put to a vote of the full house on April 22.

If passed, it means burkhas, niqabs and other full face veils would be outlawed from the streets, parks, schools and all public buildings. Belgium's draft law has the backing of all five parties in the nation's coalition government.

As feelings run high, a Muslim teacher in Belgium who has fought a legal battle to wear the veil at school was refused access to her classroom on Tuesday.

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was leaving Washington, after undergoing a series of what seemed like deliberate humiliations by the White House, he said he had found the golden middle way between U.S. President Barack Obama's demands and Israel's positions. But he will quickly find out that there is no middle way - Obama wants to go all the way. He may be prepared to nibble away at Israel's positions one nibble at a time, but he knows exactly where he wants to go.

It all started with Obama's speech in Cairo last June. Pulling no punches, and for the first time since 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, the president raised in public a difference of opinion between the United States and Israel that had existed for many years but had in the past been relegated to discreet discussions between officials of the two governments. Israel would have to stop building settlements in the West Bank, he told the audience at Cairo University. You did not have to be very smart to know that when he said West Bank he did not mean only Judea and Samaria, but rather anything that was located beyond the 1949 armistice lines (the Green Line). And that also included the areas of Jerusalem beyond the Green Line.

Rather than stating clearly that this demand contradicted Israel's basic rights and therefore could not be met, the Israeli government adopted a tactic of making partial accommodations to Obama's demands and stalling for time. First came Netanyahu's speech at Bar-Ilan University agreeing, with some reservations, to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Then came the government's decision to freeze construction in the settlements in Judea and Samaria for 10 months. When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Israel for this unprecedented decision - and it really was unprecedented - the Israeli government thought it had appeased Washington's demands, when in reality it was being told by Washington: "So far so good, but you still have a long way to go."

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Vice President Joe Biden's arrival in Israel, on what was trumpeted as a goodwill visit, became an opportunity to turn the decision by a low-grade civil servant on the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee into an "insult" to the United States of America. The prime minister and government spokesmen took this farce seriously and apologized over and over. It was an unfortunate mistake in "timing" they said, not realizing that the United States objected not to the timing but to any construction in areas of Jerusalem beyond the Green Line.

To make things crystal clear to this slow learner came the humiliations during Netanyahu's visit to Washington and the insistent demands made of him. Make no mistake about it, the Americans have decided on exactly the conditions Israel has to meet to bring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the negotiating table and do not intend to compromise on them.

As a matter of fact, having already communicated these conditions to Abbas, they cannot now move away from them. It should be clear that the Americans also have some very definite ideas on what the final Israeli-Palestinian agreement should look like, and they plan on making Israel sign such an agreement within the next two years. They will not listen to experienced voices saying that this is no way to bring peace to the region.

When officials in the Obama administration are not using strong-arm tactics, they are appealing to the good sense of the Israeli public and the prime minister. The status quo is unsustainable, they say. This simple phrase in incorrect Latin (Menachem Begin, who knew Latin, used to insist that one should say status quo ante, not status quo) seems to have an overpowering effect on audiences. It was used by Biden in his speech at Tel Aviv University, to loud applause, and by Clinton at the AIPAC conference, to somewhat more subdued applause. Even a member of the Netanyahu government has repeated it on occasion.

It is the equivalent of saying "Do something! Do anything! Anything would be better than the current situation." Now that, Israelis well know, is not true. The current situation is far from perfect, like just about everything in the Middle East. But when it is suggested that nothing could be worse, Israelis, who have unfortunately seen worse, and even much worse, find it hard to accept. What Washington is now trying to push down Israel's throat may lead to much worse.

According to the Homeric epithets affixed by his enemies, Geert Wilders is a "right-wing populist."

About the "right-wing" part -- see here.

And about the populism, see the paragraph about "populism" just posted by George Handlery at Brussels Journal:

"Amused, the writer is observing what is labeled as “extreme right wing” or as a “populist”. By now, the routine charge of populism has achieved fad status akin to piercings, baggy pants and snowboards. This notation addresses itself to the term “populist” when applied as a charge before ritual condemnation. There are things that we all know but which the elites, being domiciled in their “houses high on the hills”, can avoid. Since the problem does not fit their concept as in an ideal world it is not supposed to exist, they are reluctant to discuss the matter. If, inconveniently, someone publicizes unfitting concerns, the elite knows that it lacks an effective response. Therefore, in want of a convincing answer, the party raising the issue is dismissed as “populist”. In doing so, the claimant has essentially accepted defeat on a playing field that has been leveled to the traditional élites’ disadvantage. Perhaps populism should be given a new meaning. In practice, it appears that populism is when “they” have no good retort and must allege, for that reason, that the people are too simple to fathom the problem. Consequently, those who refer to the average person’s judgment are accused of misleading agitation to rally the barefooted. In trouble, the folks without arguments allege that the populists are wrong simply because they have simple answers. Indeed: “check-mate” is a simple matter."